GoogleNow
Latest
Google kills off Android’s spam-ridden Nearby Notifications
After launching just three years ago, Google is putting an end to Nearby Notifications on Android. The feature, which was intended to serve up location-specific information, had recently become inundated with marketers and spammers. Android users will stop receiving Nearby Notifications entirely on December 6.
The Google Now launcher for Android may be discontinued soon
One of the most annoying things about Android has long been the custom skins that manufacturers would slap on top of the operating system. Things have gotten better in recent years, but plenty of users would be happier using Android as Google intended. Fortunately, Google has offered a home screen launcher based on the software it put in the Nexus series of phones for a while now. But now that the company has moved on to the Pixel smartphone line, complete with its own redesigned launcher, the old "Google Now" launcher is being put out to pasture.
Conjure spells on your phone to prepare for 'Fantastic Beasts'
J.K. Rowling's prequel to the Harry Potter series is set to hit theaters next week and Google wants to help you prepare by turning your phone into a magic wand. On an Android device, you can cast "spells" with an "OK Google" voice command. After you alert your phone with the magic phrase, follow it up with a command like "lumos" and "nox" to turn the flashlight on and off. You can also use "silencio" to mute any sounds and notifications. Sure, it's rather simple, but it's a neat way for Potter fans to get ready for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ahead of next week's debut.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 9: What's he building in there
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to dig through all the big Google news from the week, including the launch of the Pixel phones. Plus they take a brief detour to talk about what makes the PlayStation VR better than its competitors.
Personal assistants are ushering in the age of AI at home
Google Home is the latest embodiment of a virtual assistant. The voice-activated speaker can help you make a dinner reservation, remind you to catch your flight, fire up your favorite playlist and even translate words for you on the fly. While the voice interface is expected to make quotidian tasks easier, it also gives the company unprecedented access to human patterns and preferences that are crucial to the next phase of artificial intelligence. Comparing an AI agent to a personal assistant, as most companies have been doing of late, makes for a powerful metaphor. It is one that is indicative of the human capabilities that most major technology companies want their disembodied helpers to adopt. Over the last couple of years, with improvements in speech-recognition technology, Siri, Cortana and Google Now have slowly learned to move beyond the basics of weather updates to take on more complex responsibilities like managing your calendar or answering your queries. But products that invade our personal spaces -- like Amazon's Echo and Google Home -- point to a larger shift in human-device interaction that is currently underway.
Google's Android search may drop the 'Now on Tap' name
Google signaled that its Google Now branding was on the way out when it unveiled Assistant in May, and it now looks like the company is determined to erase whatever traces were left. The team at 9to5Google has discovered that Google's latest search app beta kicks the Now naming scheme to the curb. Now on Tap is just "screen search," while Now cards are your "feed."
Google adds even more 3D Touch support to its iOS app
The Google app on iOS has supported 3D Touch for awhile, but that's going, ahem, deeper. Now you can deep press on the big G at the bottom of the screen to start a new search query from anywhere within the app. Doing the same on Search and Maps results will offer previews of web pages and maps, respectively, while an even firmer press will open the links or Map. If you don't have an iOS device that supports the feature, long pressing will net you the same results. Beyond that, version 18's patch notes are barren aside from word that there are more Doodles and games coming in the future.
Google Chrome tests out a more personal New Tab page
A recent change to the Chrome Dev build on Android could indicate a new feature coming to the browser soon. Android Police points out that users are seeing a Google Now-powered content list on their devices, and I was able to pull it up easily after installing the test version of the app on my device. Google Reader it isn't, but it does bring the personalized suggestions closer to people who might not open the Search bar as often as their browser.
Google Now toying with 'Explore Interests' personalization
Google Now automatically caters results to your prior searches, but manual customization of what it serves up is a little clunky. You can either toggle fields of interest on and off in the service's settings or click a box on cards or news sources to indicate your future disinterest. But now the tech titan is testing out a more active method to tell the predictive service what you'd like to see with "Explore Interests." Just don't expect it to come out any time soon, as Google has "nothing to announce" at this time, a spokesperson told TechCrunch.
UE adds Google and Siri voice integration to its Boom speakers
Today, Ultimate Ears is pushing out a software enhancement that's available for both the UE Boom 2 and Megaboom Bluetooth speakers. With an app refresh and OTA update, users will now be able to access Google Now or Siri by pushing a button on the speakers themselves, as long as they're connected through the UE app on the host device. Since the Boom 2 and Megaboom are both IPX7 water resistant, this could be perfect for beach or pool time, letting you keep your phone or tablet out of harm's way. Friends can also use this to find a song they want without hassling you for your phone or lock screen code. This new feature puts the speakers in competition with devices like the Amazon Tap, which also requires a button push to access Alexa, its on-board smart assistant. I had few hours for a quick preview of the update using both of the compatible UE speakers and an Android device, and while the service works, there's certainly room for improvement.
Google Now on Tap now lets you search via image and text
Google Now on Tap has just been updated with a few significant features, especially if you're someone who lives for Google's image search capabilities.
Microsoft hopes Cortana will lead an army of chatbots to victory
If Bloomberg Businessweek's latest cover story didn't make obvious enough, the hour or so Microsoft dedicated to it on stage at its Build developer conference should have cleared up any doubts: Cortana as a big part of the company's future. Microsoft wants the AI assistant to do everything, but knows it can't make that dream a reality by itself. The new framework allows developers to build an independent chatbot that plays nice with users and Cortana. Microsoft isn't the only one pursuing the goal of the perfect assistant, though, and there's no telling if its efforts to inspire an army of chatbots will be successful. Although chatbots have been around for half a century, they didn't have a practical use until the internet took hold. SmarterChild, which was popular on AOL AIM and Microsoft Messenger, worked like an advanced directory inquiries, giving out business information, weather and even movie times. Google searches quickly took over this functionality for most users, though, and more modern interpretations have largely taken the form of a personal assistant. Apple's Siri, released in 2011 with the iPhone 4S, blended conversational interactions with basic functionality like opening apps, playing music, and managing calendar appointments. In 2012, Google Now took a more automated approach, surfacing information based on your search results, calendar, and email. Cortana, which debuted in 2013, built on this with greater integrations, deep links into apps and a secure, personalizable "Notebook" that stores user information. In the meantime, developers in China were doing something completely different.
Google is reportedly working on an Amazon Echo rival
Nest might not be building a challenger to the Amazon Echo, but that doesn't mean its sister company Google is standing idle. The Information's sources claim that Google is building its own voice-controlled "personal assistant device" to beat Amazon at its own game. Just how it would work isn't clear (though it would likely rely on Google's existing voice search tech), but the search giant is believed to be working alone -- unlike Google's OnHub line, you won't find any hints of Nest technology inside.
Google Now can block publishers you don't read
You can already tell Google Now to stop showing you stories on certain subjects, such as an annoying political candidate or a rival sports team. But what if you want to purge an entire site from that long list of info cards? You're about to get that chance. Some users have noticed that Google Now is giving them an option to block entire publishers, regardless of content. If you're irked by a tabloid cluttering your feed, you can banish it forever. It also lets you avoid broader topics, too, such as US politics or sports. The feature doesn't appear to be available everywhere just yet, but sit tight -- it's likely coming to your device soon enough.
The next big thing in smartphones is uncertainty
You've probably noticed something about smartphones. They haven't been exciting lately. Chances are, your current smartphone looks and works a lot like your last one. Your next will probably seem pretty familiar, too. But there are signs that smartphones, and the ways we use them, could be about to significantly change -- even if no one can quite agree on exactly how.
Hound's voice-recognition technology books an Uber for you
Virtual assistants are getting better at their jobs. With Siri, Cortana or Google Now on your smartphone, it's not hard to pin down the closest artisanal coffee shop, set up a reminder to water your plants or calculate the quickest commute. But in this race for personal assistance, the service that requires the fewest steps can be expected to win. Hound, the latest natural language voice-recognition entrant, comes with the promise of a hands-free experience.
Google staffer makes his own smart bathroom mirror
Smart mirrors are everywhere in tech companies' visions of future homes, but they never seem to show up in real homes -- at best, you might find them in fitting rooms. That just wasn't good enough for Google's Max Braun, though. He recently built his own smart bathroom mirror, and it even matches some of the lofty expectations set by concept videos and sci-fi movies. Thanks to the combination of a two-way mirror, an Amazon Fire TV Stick and a display board, Max gets the weather, news headlines and other key facts while he's busy brushing his teeth. All it's doing is calling on data that would normally go into a Google Now card -- Max can even use his voice to search for info, like a tech-savvy version of Snow White's Evil Queen.
Google makes it easier to keep up with the presidential candidates
It's an election year here in the United States. In truth, the candidates started eating up news cycles well before 2016 started. Regardless, keeping up with each of their platforms and statements on important topics is tough. Plus, there's the always confusing schedule of caucuses and primaries. So you can either have a live feed of all the cable news networks piped directly into your brain, or you can check out our election guide and Google's updated search and Now card results for candidates.
Google Now launcher forces Android apps to literally fit in
Anyone wringing their hands over the fact that their Android apps just don't line up flush will be delighted with an update to Google Now's launcher -- the de facto home screen for Nexus-branded Android phones like the 6P. In response to the fact that some Android app makers aren't following Google's guidelines, those rogues, the company has taken it into its own hands, forcing consistent icon size inside the launcher. The main difference: oversized logos chill out a bit, shrinking to fit Google's in-house apps and third-party app icons that followed the rules.
Foursquare cards are popping up in Google Now, even without the app
Google Now has been serving up cards with info from your apps for a while. According to a report in VentureBeat, you might start seeing cards from apps you don't have installed -- starting with Foursquare. Cards with tips from the app were spotted alongside Google's own regular location-based recommendations. Foursquare still isn't listed on Google's partner page, so likely these cards are part of a limited trial, and the search giant isn't confirming anything when asked.
